The Next Best Picture Podcast

"Jane Austen Wrecked My Life" had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its writing, performances, and use of Jane Austen's material to craft a fresh rom-com. Director/writer Laura Piani and star Camille Rutherford were kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experience making the latest film, which y...

For Episode 443, Dan Bayer and I are back from the south of France to give you Part 2 of our 2025 Cannes Film Festival recap, including our reactions to the award winners. Tune in as we touch on many of the movies which premiered in the second week of the festival including the Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just An Accident," "Sentimental Value," "Resurrection," "Alpha," "Pillion," "Highest 2 Lowest,"...

For this week's main podcast review, Ema Sasic, Katie Johnson, and Joselyn Safadi are reviewing and discussing "Lilo & Stitch," starring Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Hannah Waddingham, Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance & Zach Galifianakis. Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp ("Marcel The Shell With Shoes On"), this is yet another Disney live-action remake of a beloved 2D animated film...

"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" marks the eighth and possibly final "Mission: Impossible" film. Continuing the story from "Dead Reckoning," the stakes have never been higher, and the story and stunts have never been as big. Two new faces to the franchise, Hayley Atwell (Grace) and Greg Tarzan Davis (Degas), were kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and exper...

Bonjour NBP Community! For Episode 442, I am joined by Dan Bayer on the Croisette in France for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. In this week's episode, we take a break from the film festival at the midway point to discuss the various films we've been watching, including "Die, My Love," "Eddington," "Sirat," "Sound Of Falling," "The Chronology Of Water," "Nouvelle Vague," "The Secret Agent," "The Ph...

For this week's main podcast review, Giovanni Lago, Josh Parham, Tom O'Brien, and Will Mavity are reviewing and discussing "Final Destination Bloodlines," starring Kaitlyn Santa, Juana Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger & Tony Todd. It's sixth installment in the "Final Destination" film series following 2011's "Final Destination 5." Did the break from the f...

"The Damned" had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Director award for filmmaker Roberto Minervini. Set in 1862 against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the film follows a group of volunteer Union soldiers. Minervini was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work and experience making the film, whic...

"Hurry Up Tomorrow" is the new film from Trey Edward Shults, the filmmaker behind films such as "Krisha," "It Comes At Night" and "Waves." The film acts as a companion piece to Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye's sixth studio album of the same name, which was produced in conjunction with the film. It stars Tesfaye as a fictionalized version of himself, an insomniac musician on the verge of a mental breakd...

For Episode 441, on Mother's Day and the night of our departure to Cannes, I am joined by Dan Bayer & Giovanni Lago as we deliver our final preview of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and which films we're most excited to see, which is also the theme of this week's poll as we ask, "Which Films From The 2025 Cannes Film Festival Are You Most Excited To See?" We also reveal the winner of last week's po...

For this week's main podcast review, Cody Dericks, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, Katie Johnson, and Dan Bayer are reviewing and discussing "Clown In A Cornfield," based on the 2020 novel of the same name, directed and co-written by Eli Craig and starring Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac, Kevin Durand & Will Sasso. The slasher film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival to positive reviews and...

Over the past several decades, Jia Zhangke has emerged as China's foremost cinematic chronicler, capturing the nation's rapid 21st-century transformation and its impact on everyday lives with a uniquely expressive, ethnographic lens. His first fiction film in six years, "Caught by the Tides" (which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews), is the purest distillation of his w...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2009 retrospective continues with the first animated Best Picture nominee since 1991's "Beauty And The Beast," Disney Pixar's "Up," starring Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai & Bob Peterson. Hot off the heels of...

"Clown In A Cornfield" had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its adaptation of the 2020 novel by Adam Cesare, the performances from the cast, and the bloody fun direction from filmmaker Eli Craig. Craig and stars Katie Douglas and Kevin Durand were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experience making the...

Few shows face the criticism from all sides that “The Oscars” do. Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan know that better than most. They’ve produced the last two Academy Awards, facing the challenge head-on and boosting ratings along the way. The Academy and ABC have taken notice, quickly announcing Kapoor and Mullan as the producers of next year’s Oscars, along with returning host Conan O’Brien. In an exclu...

"Adolescence" is quite possibly the buzziest and best show of 2025. A cultural phenomenon all over the world, particularly within the UK (it was the first streaming show to place at the top of the Barb Audiences weekly television ratings), the series has received universal critical acclaim for its directing, writing, one-take cinematography, and performances. Director Philip Barantini was kind eno...

"Mid-Century Modern" is a new American comedy television series created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan that stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Linda Lavin, and Nathan Lee Graham. It tells the story of three gay best friends of a certain age, after an unexpected death, who move in together in Palm Springs, California. Living with the wealthiest friend's mother, they navigate their golden years as a c...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full podcast episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture The nominations for the 78th annual Tony Awards were announced earlier this week and were led by "Buena Vista Social Club," "Death Becomes Her," and "Maybe Happy Ending," with ten nominations each. "Dead Outlaw," "The Hills...

For Episode 440, I am joined by Josh Parham, Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer & Giovanni Lago as we preview the 2025 Summer Movie Season with the films we're most excited to see. This is also the theme of this week's poll as we ask, "Which 2025 Summer Movie Are You Most Looking Forward To Seeing?" and we reveal the winner of last week's poll for the release of "Thunderbolts*" asking, "What Is Your Favor...

For this week's main podcast review, Lauren LaMagna, Cody Dericks, Tom O'Brien, and I are reviewing and discussing the latest film from Marvel Studios, "Thunderbolts*," starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen & Julia Louis-Dreyfus. At a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) needs a shot in...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full podcast episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture The Next Best Series Podcast is back to discuss the latest television shows, including the season finale of "The White Lotus," and the returns of "The Last Of Us," "Andor," and reigning Outstanding Comedy Series champion "Ha...

"The Surfer" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section, where it received positive reviews for its style, placing you in the psychological headspace of Nicolas Cage's character as he revisits his childhood beach to surf with his son. Humiliated by locals, he becomes entangled in an escalating conflict that pushes him to his limits. Director Lorcan Finnegan was...

"Another Simple Favor" had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its sharp writing, juicy performances, and delicious costume design. Continuing the story from 2018's "A Simple Favor," director Paul Feig and stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, and Henry Golding, all returned, along with new faces and a new setting in Capri Italy f...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2009 retrospective continues with the breakout English Sundance hit of the year, "An Education," starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, and Emma Thompson. N...

"Out Of My Mind" had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances, portrayal of cerebral palsy, writing, and direction. Based on Sharon M. Draper's 2010 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Melody Brooks, a nonverbal young girl with cerebral palsy who has a sharp mind and a photographic memory. The movie follows her j...

"Severance" is one of the most beloved and popular series in the world right now. After waiting for the second season for nearly three years, it was finally released to positive reviews and an enthusiastic response from fans earlier this year. One of the brightest spots of this season was the character of Gemma Scout/Ms. Casey, played by Dichen Lachman. Lachman was given a showcase in "Chikhai Bar...